| "The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley" | |
|---|---|
| Single by C-Company featuring Terry Nelson | |
| Released | March 1971 |
| Format | 7" |
| Recorded | 1971 |
| Genre | Spoken word |
| Length | 3:27 |
| Label | Plantation |
| Writer(s) | Julian Wilson James M. Smith |
| Producer | Shelby Singleton |
The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley is a 1971 spoken word recording with vocals by Terry Nelson and music by pick-up group C-Company.
Contents |
The song is set to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". It offers a heroic description of Lieutenant William Calley, who in March 1971 was convicted of murdering Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai Massacre of March 16, 1968.
The song begins with an idealized, fictional account of Calley's childhood. It subsequently portrays factually Calley's early war experiences and the fatalities of young men in his company. It then goes on to relate the events at My Lai from Calley's point of view.
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 49 |
The song was written in April 1970 by Julian Wilson and James M. Smith of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In November 1970 a few copies of it were issued by Quickit Publishing. In March 1971 Shelby Singleton, publisher of "Harper Valley PTA," obtained the rights to the song and issued a new recording under his Plantation Records label[1]. The single sold over one million copies in just four days, and was certified gold by the RIAA on 15 April 1971.[2] It went on to sell nearly two million copies,[2] and got "a lot of C&W airplay".[1]
The song is mentioned in Hunter S. Thompson's novel, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"